Ultimate Party Meatballs

Appetizers: my favorite food group.
What? Not a food group, you say?
Shut it.

If there was a way to do it without seeming a total freak, I'd eat appetizers for every dinner. Little bits of 20 different things...heaven.

Got this recipe from Mom Central to try out a new way to make party meatballs. Yeah, those ones you stab with the fancy toothpicks that everyone has had before.

My MIL makes them with chili sauce and grape jelly. So when I told her I was bringing some for Christmas Eve that were slightly different, she seemed a bit skeptical.

You see, at my inlaws, Christmas Eve is a ton of appetizers and soups. We just graze and open gifts, and then go fill up the plates again, open more gifts, eat more. It's a vicious cycle of gluttony and greed.

I made the Ultimate Party Meatballs hoping they would live up to MIL's incredibly high standards.

The recipe:
1 16-oz. can Ocean Spray jellied Cranberry Sauce
1 12-oz. bottle Heinz Chili Sauce
1 2-pound bag frozen, pre-cooked, cocktail size meatballs

Dude.
They were really good.
And, the review from MIL was that she liked them much better than her own version because, with the cranberry flavor there was a little more kick and less sweet (which she is not a person who likes things sweet) than using the grape jelly. (And ignore the fact that in the photo it's not all cookbook pretty looking...stuff in a crockpot in my world is messy)

So, we all know that New Years and bowl games are all about parties and appetizers.
This is the cheapest and easiest appetizer you could possibly make.

Yum and tasty.

And the Ultimate Party Meatballs website has a bunch of party ideas, so you could be hungover and still plan a party.

Hall and Oates: Live at the Troubadour

I have been to hardly any concerts. It's kind of pathetic, really.
Chicago.
Elton John.
Bon Jovi.
And, last but not least, Def Leppard.

At least they've all been really great concerts. And the thing is, it's not that I don't enjoy going because I do, I just don't think about it much.

There is a smallish part of me that, as a kid (please keep this in mind), thought the "concert version" of songs was cruddy compared to the radio release. Because the concert version always sounded different, and maybe even a little bit not perfect, ya know?

Once I really appreciated true musicianship, I changed my mind.
The horn section of Chicago.
Elton's piano.
You get the idea.

I've always been a Hall & Oates fan. Big time. A greatest hits compilation was one of my first CD purchases once I had a CD player. My ringtone for when hubby calls me is "Make My Dreams". I love them and know all the songs by heart.

But a concert DVD? Not so sure. Does the entertainment value translate from being there in person to seeing a recording? My analysis is that you do lose some of that energy of the live performance...there is a relationship that happens between the audience member and the performer, it's there.

Truth be told, I loved Live at the Troubadour. A lot. Because I love the band and the songs and if there was a way to feel like I was at the concert without actually being there, this is as close as one can get. (Also, being madly in love with Daryl Hall doesn't hurt...I have a thing for blondes, even if he is older than my parents).

Please, for a moment, put aside that little mental category in which you placed Hall & Oates as an "80s pop band" (not that there is anything wrong with 80s pop bands, you know I LOVE them). Seriously, I already knew it but for the rest of you who didn't realize, you need only watch the concert performance to know that the musicianship of this duo (and the entire band, naturally) is INCREDIBLE. They are amazing. For me, the only thing missing was GE Smith, because that dude belongs with Hall & Oates (if only because when I picture all the music videos from my youth, he's in them). And he can kick some ass on the guitar, especially Family Man...tricky little guitar ditty during the Chorus on that one.

If you like concert DVDs, pick this one up. Hall and Oates - best-selling duo EVER. Didn't know that, did ya? EVER. And the 4th biggest act of the 80s after Michael Jackson, Madonna and Prince.

As for us, instead of a bunch of presents for each other we got a big ass new plasma for a room downstairs we're redoing. Can't wait to see Hall & Oates on that sucker.

Pet Pals Animal Doctor & Zoo Vet Endangered Animals

It's funny that I just took our dog Molly to the vet yesterday to get groomed and at the same time the kids have been playing the new games I got from Legacy Interactive. We have Pet Pals Animal Doctor for Wii and Zoo Vet Endangered Animals for Nintendo DS.

We have a couple animal lovers around here and I have a niece who watches Animal Planet more than cartoons and has since she was little. Ask what she wants to be when she grows up? A vet.

The games have similar components, I took a picture of all the kids playing the Pet Pals game for Wii because, well, it's easier to get a big picture.

The animals are 3D, you have the ability to change the "camera" angle so you can approach from any direction. There are actual medical situations used where you are the vet and you try to do the procedure on the animal. So, there is a warning about a little blood if you have a squeamish kid. Also, the game says it's for ages 10+ which is true, it took my oldest (12) a bit to become adept at using the Wii remote as a tool.

For the animal lover and video game lover combined, these games likely hold their interest.

Poingo

If you have a beginning reader at your house, Poingo is a great new gift to give them.

Sammie is in 1st grade and has been doing extra reading at school with another teacher. She has a lot of little books she comes home with that she is supposed to read to me and then I help her with the bigger, tougher words.

Poingo is kind of like that, except the book itself does that for you. She has the Poingo pen and once she touches the couple of starter points at the beginning in the book, the pen follows along with her reading on each page which is pretty cool.

She liked the two books we got to start with, Cars and Finding Nemo.

As it says on the information I received:

Poingo is "fun right out of the box," with no complicated instructions. Kids simply turn it on, point and go. With Poingo, books become more entertaining and engaging, making kids want to read.

Sammie already loves to read but needs a little more help to become proficient. And while I'd love to sit down and read stories to her every night after school, there are also 3 other kids with activities and homework needs. At least if she is reading the Poingo stories, she'll start to learn those bigger, tougher words without waiting for me to come pronounce them for her.

Parents Look-at-Me Camera

I am a photography nut. I love my camera like it's my fifth child. I have thousands of photos in albums and thousands more stored in various hard drives.

So, one of two things will happen with my children. They love taking photos or, as a knee-jerk reaction, they'll hate it.

It appears that my boys could care less about pictures but they are also "those ages" where they kind of think anything I do is lame and dorky.

My girls, on the other hand, are still willing models for my shutterbug whims. They are also interested in running over and seeing what the picture looks like on the viewing screen. (Remember back in the day the closest we could have gotten to this immediate gratification was a Polaroid? And it still might have sucked.)

So the girls were pretty excited to try the Parents Look-at-Me Camera because they don't get to use my Rebel, EVER, there are no simple cameras for them to try...finally, they can try something for themselves!

I think one of the cool things is the shutter noise. The first digital camera I ever bought made a really cool shutter noise and I kind of miss it because my Rebel doesn't do that (it makes a noise, but not the same). So that makes the girls feel like they're really taking a grownup picture.

There's also disco music and the mirrored lens is along the lines of those mirrors in the fun house at the carnival where you are enticed to check yourself out from all angles.

As a fun toy and "starter" camera, the Parents Look-at-Me Camera is a great choice if for no other reason than it is crazy cheap. The press release I got said $15 but on the Target website it was listed at $9.99.

People. Even if your children are incredibly destructive and have the thing busted in a week (they won't) it was TEN BUCKS. And it's for ages 12 months +. So, that's pretty much anyone who can sit up without assistance.

I'm looking at this as a great gift idea for all the friends' birthday parties my girls get invited to throughout the year because ten bucks is about what I spend on friends for all these parties.

If I were to look thru all the reviews of kids products I've done this year, this just might qualify as the least expensive one of the whole year...so if you have economy woes, the Look-at-Me Camera is a solid choice.

Official website of Parents
Click here to get the camera at Target

This review courtesy of Team Mom

Mom Central Holiday Gift Guide

I do a lot of review work for Mom Central. I love them. LOVE. The gals are so darn nice, and they come up with such a massive amount of products there are too many even to review, so picking and choosing stuff that really makes sense for my family is great.

Anyway, aside from running a very comprehensive site, they've got a Holiday Gift Guide (you do realize you still have time for shopping, right?) and also make sure you check out the Mom Central Test Panel registration where there is the possibility of winning some stuff.

If you're stumped about those last few people on your list, make sure you check this out and tell your readers.

Didi & Ditto Preschool "Mother Nature's Visit"

I am not Sunshine. I only have three kids. And I'm older than she is. And I am not nearly as productive. No, I am Goldfish, and I am just starting a review blog called Motherhood Outfitted. And in an attempt to give me a little jumpstart, Sunshine has been gracious enough to host my review over here. A million thanks to her, and please head on over to my site to check out my other reviews! Thanks. And thanks, Sunshine!


My quick review: this computer game is great.

Evan's quick review: "Mom, can I play Didi and Ditto again?! Please?!?!"

But perhaps you are wanting some more details? Sure, I'll oblige.

The premise of the game: help the main characters (super-cute little beavers-- yes, beavers-- named Didi and Ditto) collect prizes to take to a party upon successful completion of the game. It's for ages 2-4, with three levels of difficulty. Kids can choose to play an entire game, or "practice" individual activities from the game. Activities reinforce age-appropriate educational tasks such as pre-reading, pre-math, science, music, and art.

The good stuff: Evan is delighted every time he plays it. It is encouraging him to learn to use the mouse; the graphics are adorable and appealing; he can play relatively independently, with only minimal assistance from me; it encourages lots of exploration; the pacing (which seems a little slow to an adult) is just right for his level; it keeps his attention for as long as I'll let him play.... I could go on. But I won't. In short, it's perfect for a four-year-old who hasn't been exposed to a lot of video games. There is nothing about this that I'd change.

We are very pleased with this game. Looking for a gift for an older toddler or preschooler? This would be an excellent choice.




Didi & Ditto Preschool "Mother Nature's Visit" hybrid DVD-ROM, ages 2-4, by Kutoka Interactive, suggested retail $19.99

Tons o' Gaming Options

There's a gal named Caitlin who, if I was having more kids, I'd name one after her because of the massive box of video games she just sent us to try out. Dare I say, Haste and I are actually getting along all because of Wii Monopoly??? Sad, but true.

There's four items here, I'll be to the point for each:

Monopoly for Wii - I was pumped to try this one first but didn't have time right away. Good thing, though. Since I tried it the first time I've played it once a day. Which takes slightly less time than playing the board game, especially if it's you against 3 computer players. Everything is going on but happens fairly efficiently. There are new styles of boards (like those special edition Monopoly boards you've seen over the years with the theme reflected in the pieces and street names) that you can unlock after playing. We've unlocked a couple so far. The one where the board is made of chocolate and all the streets are candy names is my favorite one to date. I'd recommend it for probably 10 and up. Consider the level of patience it takes to play the real board game for 3 hours and you still have to be that patient to play the Wii version.

Hasbro Family Game Night for Wii - this includes a plethora of classic games we've all played at one time or another over the years. I sat down the other night with the previously embattled junior high son and we went thru them all. I would give highest marks to Boggle and Battleship. The others were fun and the only one I didn't like was Sorry. I think if you're going to play Sorry, half the fun is taking your playing piece and physically sliding it into your opponent's playing piece sending them back to Home and screaming "SORRY!" in their face, like my brother and I did when we played Sorry as kids. It's one of those things that doesn't translate, for me, to the video game format. The games were pretty fun though and some are fast, some take a little longer...depending on the kids in your house you should be able to find one for each different personality that you can enjoy together.

Travel Games for Dummies for Nintendo DS - I would call this a DS game for the adult crowd. Like me. And you. It has Sudoku, Crosswords and Solitaire on it. I had fun playing because I enjoy all those things but my 10-year old son muttered when I asked him, "that looks like it's for old people". Thank you, my dear son. We have a few DSs around here, so finding one unoccupied isn't hard and the kids are pretty darn about sharing their stuff when I give them my meanest mom look, so I'm thinking this game for the next time we're taking a family trip would be a good one for the mom in the bunch!

Nerf N-Strike for Wii - this is the game that my sons said to me, tears glistening in their eyes (ok, that's a lie) that they were thankful I have a "job" where I get sent toys to review. This review blog finally got some props from my offspring and it took a Nerf weapon to do it. *sigh* I did not actually play this myself. They wouldn't let me near it. It came with the Nerf blaster and 3 micro darts (of which one has now been chewed beyond recognition by the dog). My boys have not played any first person shooter games, they've not really been interested in them before. Which is kind of funny, because those are the only games my husband likes. Maybe there's some about this one being Nerf that made it more kid-friendly? No idea. Sorry, I have no idea how to play this game but it got raves from my sons, ages 12 and 10, so if that helps...there you have it.

Phew!
Hopefully you have a few more shopping ideas for some of those video gamer kiddos on your list.

MS Slippers

My pal Andy has MS. And instead of getting that bit of news and running out and feeling super sorry for herself, she did something else instead.
She started knitting. And the money she makes from her endeavors online goes to support other artists living with the disease.

She has slippers and baby legwarmers. And she just fired up an Etsy store as well to multi-promote herself.

Check out her main site at MS Slippers and also her new Etsy store.

My Magical World

I got a copy of My Magical World and I get copies of kiddie DVDs left and right, so I was wondering how I was going to set this apart from everything else my girls watch.

For one thing, the DVD cover is incredibly colorful. I can't even think of anything else we own that is quite as bright and vibrant just from the first appearance.

Well, a colorful DVD case does not a good DVD make. So, imagine my surprise when I read thru the marketing materials and find that My Magical World is the 2008 recipient of The National Parenting Center's prestigious Seal of Approval. Also, My Magical World is designed to be an interactive tool for parents and kids to enjoy together.

When I popped open the case, there was a 32-page companion book. I handed it to Emersyn and she was actually pretty interested, despite the fact that she doesn't read much more than just her name at this point. That was it, she laid down on the couch and was very interested in watching.

Call me crazy, the vibe of it reminded me incredibly of old school public television kiddie fare from the 70s. I'm not sure if that was the intent, but if the creators were going for a more nostalgic feel instead of the highly manufactured and slick fare of today - they succeeded.

My Magical World is available on Amazon for $14.00 and is recommended for ages 2-6.

***This review sponsored by Turner PR***

Kohl's Winner!

Used the Random number thingy to generate a winner for the Kohl's Giveaway...drumroll please!

Random Sequence Generator

Here is your sequence:

• 1
• 8
• 2
• 11
• 5
• 4
• 10
• 9
• 6
• 3
• 7

Congrats to Jineena! And happy shopping to everyone, thanks for your comment!

Delgo

The holiday movie season, like everything else, is super busy. The nice thing is there are a lot of films with holiday themes for adults...but there's also a ton of stuff for kids.

Coming out in theaters this Friday, December 12 is Delgo.

The animation is visually stunning, at least in the limited capacity with which I can view it on my computer.

That's not really what is impressive, when I looked at the lineup of talent behind the voices of the characters...uh, whoa. Actually, considering there are probably plenty of actors who feel that vocal work for animation is beneath them, this cast is pretty stellar.

Eric Idle. Malcolm McDowell. Anne Bancroft.
Actually, those three make me impressed enough already.
Add to that...Freddie Prinze Jr, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Chris Kattan, Val Kilmer, Lou Gossett Jr, Michael Clarke Duncan, Kelly Ripa, Burt Reynolds, Sally Kellerman.

Dudes. That's a lot of Oscar power in an animated feature. Pretty killer.

My kids enjoy pretty much any kiddo flick that comes down the pike. We'll be checking out Delgo and if the adults want a more visual treat than some of the throwaway cartoon fare, you won't be disappointed either. Hope the whole thing lives up to all this fire power, should be great!

Ridiculous/Hilarious/Terrible/Cool - A Year in an American High School

My knee jerk reaction about Elisha Cooper's book ridiculous/hilarious/terrible/cool was that it was unlike any other book I'd ever read. It was more voyeuristic sociology experiment than novel.

But now that I've finished it and I'm reading the inside of the dust jacket, it says "Part documentary, part soap opera, part sketchbook..." which is a more apt description than anything I could have come up with.

Cooper took a year and observed the lives of eight kids attending Walter Payton High in Chicago. And about the only thing they have in common is the school as the cast of "characters" seem as diverse as would be possible. From the the overachiever to the underachiever, the cool to the criminal...Cooper tells the story of their year at school.

There's Emily the soccer star.
Maya the actor.
Diana the swimmer.
Daniel the overachiever.
Anais the dancer.
Anthony the drug dealer.
Aisha the new girl.
And Zef the underachiever.

See? Told you it was quite a mix.

I don't know that there are any definitive "it" books about today's American teenager. Cooper's detached narration of the events of their lives brings an even-handed approach to seeing today's teens for what they are instead of analysing or judging them. He simply wrote what he saw and passed it along for the reader to draw their own conclusions about what might happen to these kids after the last of the prom balloons have wilted and the graduation gowns are put away.

There are two people for which Cooper's book may be of the most interest.

Those who read a lot of typical novels and want a change of pace.
And those who never read but want to because, well, it's a small book. And the pace is quite fast, Cooper jumps from one person to the next fairly quickly, offering a series of vignettes from month to month during the course of the school year.

You can find more about Elisha Cooper at his website which includes a lot of information about his other works. Also, this book is available on Amazon.com

Kohl's 25 Deals and $25 Gift Card Giveaway!

There are two things you might already know.

1 - the economy is bad and everyone can't stop talking about it
2 - Black Friday, despite everything, was better than anticipated

So, either everyone's saying "screw it, I gotta have me some Christmas presents" or they still shopping, they're just shopping smarter and not sticking everything on their credit cards, or whatever the case may be.

Or they could be like my college roommate who used to sell plasma whenever she could because that girl was always broke. Problem was, she was also always sick and her blood was all icky and nasty and the plasma people didn't want her germy plasma...poor thing.

But I digress...

You've also heard of Kohl's, and you know they have a lot of good deals pretty much all the time.

This year they're having a 25 Deals campaign for each day leading up to Christmas with a great deal of discounts going on.

I have a widget with more information at the bottom of the blog...check it out!

Also, someone will be getting a $25 Kohl's gift card!! Leave a comment, and in your comment you have to name who is your hardest person to shop for and why.

I'll leave comments open until 12 noon Central on Wednesday, December 10th.

Spin City: The Complete First Season DVD

I got the DVD set of Spin City thinking, yeah, I watched this show faithfully back in the day.

I just got done watching the entire first season and though the first few episodes took awhile to get up a head of steam, by mid-season I remembered all the things that made me love watching the show.

It doesn't hurt that I was a prepubescent goofy girl when I had a mad crush on Michael J. Fox on Family Ties. So, I could definitely get behind his turn as the Deputy Mayor of New York.

But seriously, he wasn't even the reason I continued watching the show, though still, a fan.

Richard Kind cracks me up something fierce. He is funny. Heck, I even laugh at his voice in some of the Pixar movies. He's just a funny individual.

And his banter with Stuart (Alan Ruck) is my favorite schtick in the whole show. I'd just watch a show with those two and be perfectly content.

Anyway, if you were a fan too, just thought you ought to know, Season 1 is out and ready for ya.

For you Comedy Central worshippers - Stephen Colbert makes an appearance, as do a long line of other "before they were famous" stars. Check it!